May 14 Energy News

May 14, 2017

Opinion:

¶ “The UAE is well placed to take the lead in renewable energy storage” • For the UAE and other governments of the region, the emergence of an energy storage market opens up a new set of decisions about how best to generate and distribute low-cost, emissions free electricity while reserving oil and natural gas for export. [The National]

Tafila Wind farm in Jordan (Salah Malkawi | The National)

¶ “Whose Power Plans Are Greener: China or India?” • While China got off to an early lead in renewable energy sources, India is looking to catch up over the next ten years. So which country will be crowned the greenest? In the years ahead China looks set to lead on renewables, but India’s power sector will be greener overall. [The Wire]

¶ “Policy guidance needed for renewables” • The future energy system in Australia is built on an assumption of renewables in the electricity grids, but the pipeline of projects may not last beyond 2020. Uncertainty arises because the federal government does not have a Renewable Energy Target beyond that date. [The Australian Financial Review]

Costs for renewables have fallen in recent years. (Jo Buchanan)

World:

¶ Environment advocates said Philippine coal-fired projects under construction could cause 70,000 deaths per year by 2030. Residents of Ozamiz City protested the impending construction of a 300-MW coal-fired power plant, saying the it will also prevent people from enjoying clean and cheap energy from renewable resources. [Manila Bulletin]

¶ In 2016, Victoria’s United Energy had two distribution transformers blow. That was fewer than had been the case about a decade ago, when there had been difficulties predicting where load issues would occur. One expert puts the change down to 98% of residential and small business customers having smart meters. [The Australian Financial Review]

New technology can increase productivity. (Supplied)

¶ Nearly a century after importing equipment from Britain for setting up its first thermal power station at Husain Sagar in Andhra Pradesh, India launched the process to export “Ujala” – Hindi for light – to the United Kingdom with affordable “Made in India” LED bulbs. Ujala is one of the world’s largest efficiency programs. [ETEnergyworld.com]

¶ General Electric is planning to install hydroelectric plants that will generate additional 2 GW of electricity in Nigeria by 2030, in view of the nation’s growing power demands. This is part of 29-GW hydropower expansion projects to be executed by the American multinational corporation in four African countries in the next 13 years. [Naija247news]

African hydropower plant

¶ Chhattisgarh is working hard to make itself one of India’s leading states for distributing solar-powered irrigation pumps, officials said. Its government is aiming to install around 11,300 solar powered irrigation pumps in the first of three distribution phases, with the second and third each adding roughly 20,000 more. [Daily Pioneer]

¶ The Lucot Investment Committee, after a number of meetings with the Cameroon Government, will invest $500 million in a solar power project, partnering with Phoenix Green Capital Corp Ltd. Lucot has been investing in the ASEAN region for a number of years and sees opportunities for more investment in Africa. [Proshare Nigeria Limited]

¶ South Africa’s Energy Minister will try again to build nuclear reactors in the country, after a court ruled the government had failed to allow adequate public consultation for preliminary agreements. This will happen by signing new plans and submitting them to the parliament, rather than by appealing the court’s decision. [ETEnergyworld.com]

US:

¶ Last December, after years of legal wrangling, the Arizona Corporation Commission set a new solar policy phasing out net metering. Now, Tucson Electric Power Co proposed a rate structure for future customers with PVs that would cut credits for excess solar production and mandate time-of-use rates with new monthly charges. [Arizona Daily Star]

Tucson rooftop solar (Ron Medvescek | Arizona Daily Star)

¶ The North Bay pioneered a new type of public energy program in California seven years ago, and now it appears poised to change who buys electricity for homes and businesses across large swaths of the state. The growth is also prompting a face-off between the public programs and California’s three biggest private utilities. [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]

¶ Some New York residents and business owners said they would need to change how they live or operate to compensate for electric and gas delivery rate increases proposed by National Grid. The company would increase gas and electric bills from 7% to 14.9% for upstate customers, partly to pay for nuclear power subsidies. [WatertownDailyTimes.com]